Japanese Accused of Adding Chemicals to Co-Worker’s Water in U.S.

New York, April 22 (Jiji Press)–A district attorney in the U.S. state of Wisconsin has indicted a Japanese researcher for adding chemicals to a co-worker’s water bottle, according to U.S. media reports. Makoto Kuroda, 41, a staff scientist at the Influenza Research Institute of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was prosecuted on charges including recklessly endangering safety, according to a recent announcement from the university and investigation materials. Earlier this month, the co-worker called police after noticing an odor of chemicals from his water bottle that had been left in the laboratory as well as from his shoes. Kuroda was arrested April 10. The colleague immediately spat out the water, and there was no damage to his health. Kuroda has admitted to the allegations, saying that he added lab chemicals including paraformaldehyde, a toxic substance, to the water and shoes. The defendant was upset with the co-worker following the colleague’s promotion and aimed to make the person feel bad, the media reports said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]